'I knew something was wrong - then a GP knocked on my door at 2am'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Joanna Heap had known there was something deeply wrong with her daughter Tallulah for weeks. The 11-year-old had lost her appetite and was falling asleep in school.

Her family put it down to the stress of starting Year 7. But as the weeks passed by, Tallulah developed a rash and started sweating in bed.

Mum Joanna thought it was because she had a heated blanket. “There was always an explanation for everything,” she added. Concerned by her worsening symptoms, the beauty therapist decided to take Tallulah to see a GP where a blood test was carried out.

When the screening showed abnormal results, medics requested another test. During this time, Tallulah was given antibiotics for a prickly rash and accidentally hurt her leg – the bruise growing to an unusually large size.